Sunfish Parts Help

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ellesar04

New Member
Saltwater recently ate all the way through my bow handle. one there is a scratch in the plating these anodized metals get the life beaten out of them quick. I'm not at the beach where i store the boat at the moment, and I want to machine a new handle real quick here at the shop. Would someone with a tape measurer be so kind as to give me the dimensions of the footpad for the bow handle? i just need the dimensions from screw hole to screwhole.

Also, I am using Interlux Brightside to paint my deck Sapphire Blue with white racing stripes just like a shelby cobra. I will post pictures later.

Thanks to those who can give a measurement.

Joseph
 
The replacement handles screw pattern is ever so slightly different than the original. Perhaps it's not of significance to you, might you might want to be aware.
 
Thats why i'm machining my own. I have all sorts of metal fabrication machines here at the shop, and just wanted to know the distances between screws. i'm not paying $30 for another handle that isnt going to last. The steel I have here I make offshore oilwell parts with. its going to hold up.
 
Ellsar04,
I have my '79 SF in the garage for some pre-season trailer work. I measured my bow handle. The distance between centers from the foward pair to the rear pair of screws in a firm five inches. The front pair of screw positions are just a hair over an inch. It may really be inch, but mine measured like 17/16. The rear just the same almost three quarters say 11/16. If you are going to epoxy the original deck holes closed and redrill some pilot holes, just fabricate your new handle to have one inch front centers and three quarters of an inch for the rear centers. See the attached photo. I lost battery power for the second two dimensions of the screw centers. Hope this helps.
 

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ellesar04 said:
i'm not paying $30 for another handle that isnt going to last.
Click to expand...

Joseph, I can definitely see you not wanting to spend $30 for the bow handle when you have the resources and tools to make your own, but for the record, I don't think that the handle is still made out of the relatively short lived plated brass. Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but isn't the new handle solid stainless?
 
I spoke to a "Collin" at APS. He said the bow handles they have are still chrome over brass. I have seen stainless bow handles on SF's here in Michigan. I also spoke to Vanguard directly while I was on the phone today and asked the question. Nikobrogna is correct the new handles are now made of stainless steel and run $23.50 before S&H.
 
Thanks for the dimensions, first of all. I got them put in on my machine and i'm ready to machine new ones. i have some mockups i'm going to use this weekend just so i can sail. The handle i've designed actually looks like the old cobra logo from the shelby cobra. It will take a while to get it back from teh chromers. my next project once i get some machine hours freed up is to make stainless steel inspection ports that look like the old racing gas caps. This steel that I'm using here at the shop is Alloy 255, used for offshore platforms that have to resist pitting and corrosion for at least 30 years.

My nephew has taken to sailing and has loved Shelby Cobras since he was 3 Once the boat is completed it's going to look great. I have a picture I took with my cellphone of after the first coat of Interlux Brightside, sapphire blue, but the tape is still on for the racing stripes. take a look.
 

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Just bought a new bow handle and the holes were so close to the original '77 holes that there was no problem putting it in place.

I am impresses with the blue and look forward to seeing the final product.

Craig
 
Well here is the finished paint job. I will be painting the splashguard silver, this paint i'm using has a 24 hour set time before i can put on another coat. But the racing stripes look nice. ended up just putting a giant cleat on the front to hold me over til I finish the design and get it input in my fabricator. (the fabricator is 30 years old and very very hard to program. I actually love having the cleat, as i tie off to my dock. on the second picture, that blue that ran over onto the hull has been cleaned off.
 

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Well it sure looks nice. Guess you are going to keep a bucket in the foot well to keep your butt cool. Look forward to seeing your new bow handle.
 
actually I have a deck that goes over the water on the second floor of my house, the boat stays in the shade of it until i'm ready to set out. plus it really doesnt get that hot when i was out in the sun. the difference between the temp on the white paint and the blue paint is negligible.
 
You will be amazed at the difference in temps between a white and a dark blue. It will be very uncomfortable on a sunny day.
 
Well the heat transfer of fiberglass is laughable compared to heavy metals. and i dont exactly ride around butt naked. Thank you for the concerns about my hiney though.
 
What it really comes down to is what you like and if it works for you. Your comment about heat transfer from fiberglass makes sense. Buckminster Fuller at one time put forth a concept of a cool black surface, depending on what the material is. A black piece of cloth will never get as hot as a black piece of metal.
 
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